COMPANYHISTORIES
NAIC 23331

Manufacturing and Industrial Building Construction

How the companies in this industry began, and the forces that shaped them.

22companies1875–1999founding years20still active2no longer operating
§ 01

The industry over time

Companies foundedEconomyTechnologyEnvironmentHistory
FoundedHochtief AG
1875
FoundedSkanska AB
1887
FoundedTA Triumph-Adler AG
1896
1903
TechnologyThe Wright brothers achieve powered flight.
FoundedMcCarthy Building Companies, Inc.
1907
FoundedKraus-Anderson, Incorporated
1912
FoundedPCL Construction Group Inc.
1913
1914
EconomyWorld War I begins; global trade reorders.
FoundedDay & Zimmermann, Inc.FoundedWalbridge Aldinger Co.
1916
FoundedFluor Corporation
1924
1931
EconomyThe Empire State Building rises in just over a year.
FoundedMorrison Knudsen Corporation
1932
1937
EconomyThe Golden Gate Bridge opens as the world's longest suspension span.
1939
EconomyWorld War II begins; wartime production surges.
FoundedBalfour Beatty plc
1945
EconomyThe war ends; a long global expansion begins.
FoundedMcDermott International, Inc.
1946
FoundedEmpresas ICA Sociedad Controladora, S.A. de C.V.
1947
TechnologyThe transistor is invented.
FoundedLend Lease Corporation Limited
1958
TechnologyThe integrated circuit is demonstrated.
1962
EnvironmentSilent Spring launches the modern environmental movement.
FoundedNew World Development Company Limited
1970
1975
TechnologyThe personal-computer era begins.
FoundedBufete Industrial, S.A. de C.V.FoundedHutchison Whampoa Limited
1977
1981
TechnologyThe IBM PC launches and sets a standard.
1984
TechnologyApple ships the Macintosh; the GUI era begins.
1989
HistoryThe Berlin Wall falls; global markets open up.
1991
TechnologyThe World Wide Web is released to the public.
1993
TechnologyThe Mosaic browser brings the web to everyone.
1995
TechnologyWindows 95 launches; the internet goes mainstream.
1997
EnvironmentThe Kyoto Protocol sets the first climate targets.
FoundedFortum Corporation
1998
2004
TechnologySocial media and Web 2.0 take hold.
2007
TechnologyThe iPhone launches the smartphone era.
2010
TechnologyCloud computing goes mainstream for business.
2015
EnvironmentThe Paris Agreement sets global climate targets.
2020
EconomyThe COVID-19 pandemic upends the global economy.
2022
EconomyInflation spikes; central banks raise rates sharply.
2023
TechnologyGenerative AI reaches mainstream business use.
§ 02

The companies

Hochtief AG →
Active · founded 1875 · Germany
Hochtief AG is the German market leader in the construction industry and is among the world's leading international…
Skanska AB →
Active · founded 1887 · Sweden
After helping to build Scandinavia, Skanska AB is ready to help build the rest of the world.
TA Triumph-Adler AG →
Active · founded 1896 · Germany
TA Triumph-Adler AG is Germany's leading supplier of distribution services for printing, copying and presentation…
McCarthy Building Companies, Inc. →
Active · founded 1907
McCarthy Building Companies, Inc.
Kraus-Anderson, Incorporated →
Active · founded 1912
Kraus-Anderson, Incorporated has been in the construction business for over a century.
NKK Corporation →
Defunct · founded 1912 · Japan
NKK Corporation is one of the world's largest steelmakers and Japan's second largest.
PCL Construction Group Inc. →
Active · founded 1913 · Canada
PCL Construction Group Inc.
Day & Zimmermann, Inc. →
Active · founded 1916
Day & Zimmermann, Inc., a private, family-run company headquartered in Philadelphia, provides technical, engineering,…
Walbridge Aldinger Co. →
Active · founded 1916
Walbridge Aldinger Co.
Fluor Corporation →
Active · founded 1924
Mid-1980s:Fluor divests all of its oil properties, some gold operations, and all its offshore drilling facilities.
The Connell Company →
Active · founded 1926
Originally and perhaps best known as a major broker of rice, The Connell Company has grown to become one of the largest…
Morrison Knudsen Corporation →
Defunct · founded 1932
Morrison Knudsen Corporation (MK) has long stood as one of the world's largest engineering and construction…
Balfour Beatty plc →
Active · founded 1945 · United Kingdom
Late 19th century:Callender's Cable and Construction Co.
McDermott International, Inc. →
Active · founded 1946
McDermott International, Inc.
Empresas ICA Sociedad Controladora, S.A. de C.V. →
Active · founded 1947 · Mexico
Empresas ICA Sociedad Controladora, S.A.
Lend Lease Corporation Limited →
Active · founded 1958 · Australia
Lend Lease Corporation Limited, one of Australia's top public companies, is a leading integrated global real estate…
The Yates Companies, Inc. →
Active · founded 1964
With its headquarters in Philadelphia, Mississippi, The Yates Companies, Inc.
New World Development Company Limited →
Active · founded 1970 · Hong Kong
Since its founding in 1970, New World Development Company Limited has been a leader in Hong Kong's bustling commercial…
Bufete Industrial, S.A. de C.V. →
Active · founded 1977 · Mexico
Bufete (or Grupo Bufete) Industrial, S.A.
Hutchison Whampoa Limited →
Active · founded 1977 · Hong Kong
Mid-1970s:Hongkong & Shanghai Bank steps in to rescue the faltering Hutchison, taking a stake in excess of 20 percent.
Fortum Corporation →
Active · founded 1998 · Finland
Fortum Corporation is an international energy group formed from the 1998 merger of two state-owned Finnish firms: Neste…
Thyssen Krupp AG →
Active · founded 1999 · Germany
Thyssen Krupp AG was created in March 1999 from the merger of two of Germany's oldest industrial giants, Thyssen AG and…
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